Missy is beautiful, kind, joyful, goofy, serious, independent, self-assured, and the most loyal of friends you could hope for; she’ll back you up no questions asked. Well, if you’re a chimp friend that is. When the humans have been deemed to have “wronged” one of her family members she is often the first to let us know and she will hurl her tiny self onto the caging in front of you with shocking force while repeatedly kicking it and threat barking in your face with all her might.
One of my favorite memories of Missy is a time when I was trying to serve her something and Jamie decided she didn’t want that to happen and let me know by hitting the caging and threat barking at me. Given that Jamie is the dominant chimp in this society, it’s her right to do so. Even though Missy had her hand out in anticipation, she immediately backed Jamie up and joined in threat barking at me, seemingly incensed that I had tried to do something so egregious. The second Jamie walked away though, Missy immediately asked for the item again (and gestured to be quick about it!) until Jamie caught sight of us and the whole scene played out again. Missy is brilliant at chimpanzee politics.
On nights that Jamie chooses to have the door to Young’s Hill remain open she will often seemingly employ Missy to guard the door while she goes inside to retrieve something she wants. Missy doesn’t usually have any interest in the door remaining open or not and is typically ready for bed, but don’t think you are going to close that door with her standing guard in the boss’s absence.
Honestly, Missy’s a bit of a thug. And we couldn’t love her more.
In other news, one of our volunteers, Jake, discovered the hit of the summer to come! It’s hot today and we were lamenting not having any ice to run through the chimps’ snow cone machine. The chimps have access to water all day, but we occasionally offer ice snacks to help keep them cool and hydrated. So Jake brilliantly decided to experiment with running frozen grapes and a touch of strawberries through the machine and it was an immense hit with chimps and humans alike! They literally melt in your mouth. Go immediately and buy yourselves snow cone machines and grapes to freeze!
Behold:
It so wonderful all the thought & inventive ideas staff come up with . Frozen grapes – genius & quite quenching on a hot day.
Love all the blogs & thank you for the photos as well.
I love all these little snippets and stories – a brief glimpse into the daily antics of these remarkable characters. Missy’s pose in these photos is so endearing.
Albeit a bored thug in the second pix!! Haha Wonderful post and gives such insight into their world ~ U R all so appreciated, more than you could know!! Thank you and hugs to you all! Brilliant frozen snack btw!!
Who are you calling a thug?! Just look at dear little Missy, the picture of pure innocence! Adorable too. And with her buff little bod, if she threw herself on the caging and barked at me she would make me cry–part hurt feelings and part scared to death. ???? Freezing grapes tomorrow, simply brilliant!
I agree with Kathleen that I too would be scared to death and then to have not one but two of them doing that, really frightening. You caretakers are amazing that you continue to have such love for them when sometimes they are so manacing. Does “Yuri” still work there or did he quit after his first day getting a smoothy spit all over him? That was one of the funniest pictures you ever posted: him with the goop all over his head and face, but still having a big smile on his face
Hi Elaine, yes, the chimps can be really intimidating at times! I think more than anything, it’s just a very good reminder of why we have the extensive training and safety protocols we do, such as never penetrating the caging with our body, keeping a safe distance at all times, and never sharing space with them. This can be a normal part of chimpanzee behavior and it’s fascinating and wonderful to witness the dynamics/hierarchy of the group and how they often watch out for one another. I won’t lie, when one of the chimps is in the mind to try and poke you, spit on you, throw feces, etc., there are days it gets to the best of us. From the perspective of them having to live their lives in confinement, I also think it’s wonderful that they get to express themselves however they choose to and know they will be consistently respected, loved and cared for regardless of what they do. And yes, hahaha, Yuri stuck it out and still has that big smile! 🙂
Great story, wonderful pics. And another inventive food creation, and sounds very yummy. Have you tried frozen bananas? You can peel first or not. And corn cobs freeze well and you won’t have to pre-cook them!
Hi Françoise, yes, those are great ideas! Negra has a very sensitive gag reflex so we no longer pass out large pieces of frozen fruit, but she does well with slushy things she can eat at her own pace. 🙂
Can the chimps have cherries, I’m wondering? Or do you not give them things with pits, etc. Frozen cherries might be a fun thing to have…that is, if they can have them at all! I just can’t imagine Missy getting angry with anyone! 🙂
Hi Chris, the chimps can have cherries! They even had a bowl fresh from the Farmer’s Market yesterday :). It is hard to imagine when Missy is usually so calm, but Missy is fiercely protective of her chimp family and seems to have made it her personal mission to ensure their well-being if she thinks we humans have crossed some boundary or are potentially going to upset anyone. For example, she is often Negra’s self-appointed body guard during Positive Reinforcement Training (PRT) even when Negra is perfectly fine with whatever she happens to be participating in. Given their histories it makes sense. It’s a sight to behold, but we don’t see Missy kicking the caging at us often anymore. We more often get a warning threat bark in our direction if she feels the need and then she moves on. She’s a loyal friend, always looking out for the others.